One, from Netflix, features writer/director Shannon Tindle and co-director John Aoshima, and the other is ILMs VFX breakdown.The post Two Ultraman: Rising behind the scenes videos are now here appeared first on befores & afters.

Enter the apocalyptic chaos of Elevation, where Digital Domains visual effects expertise brings the spine-chilling Reapers to life. These insect-like creatures at the center of the films haunting narrative are a masterclass in lifelike creature design. The team at Digital Domain painstakingly combined practical elements with cutting-edge CGI to bring to life the Reapers intricate anatomy and terrifyingly realistic movements.One of the show-stoppers is the beautiful recreation of the Rocky Mountains where the climactic battle happens. The VFX team has done an incredible job in seamlessly combining real-world photography with digital landscapes that have been used to craft immersive environments to place viewers at the heart of action. From set pieces and explosive to the subtlety of atmospheric details, visuals enhance the storys tension and scale.With Elevation, Digital Domain once again reveals its unparalleled capacity to mix art and technology and, in so doing, has delivered a cinematic experience that lingers long after the credits roll.The post Elevation: VFX Breakdown by Digital Domain appeared first on Vfxexpress.

The Academy has officially announced its 15 shortlisted films vying for the highly coveted Best Animated Feature Oscar. This year, through a dazzling array of animation techniques, from photorealistic CGI to hand-painted styles, stop-motion artistry, and good ol hand-drawn animation, the contenders really pay a tribute to the evolving art of animation that reflects the creative innovation of filmmakers worldwide.Among the standout entries are Disneys Inside Out 2, which pushes CGI realism to new heights, and Universals The Wild Robot, which blends hand-painted visuals with modern storytelling. Stop-motion gems such as Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Memoir of a Snail bring tactile charm and emotional depth. Gints Zilbalodis Flow and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim stand out as examples of hand-painted CGI in epic storytelling.This year looks like one of the toughest in recent times, with both newcomers and established studios in the fray. Animation styles range from as wild as the stories themselves, making the road to the Oscars an exhilarating experience for all fans of the art.The last three nominees will be announced on January 17, 2025, with the winner announced at the 97th Academy AwardsHeres the full list of finalists:{remix_data:[],remix_entry_point:challenges,source_tags:[local],origin:unknown,total_draw_time:0,total_draw_actions:0,layers_used:0,brushes_used:0,photos_added:0,total_editor_actions:{},tools_used:{transform:1},is_sticker:false,edited_since_last_sticker_save:true,containsFTESticker:false}{remix_data:[],remix_entry_point:challenges,source_tags:[local],origin:unknown,total_draw_time:0,total_draw_actions:0,layers_used:0,brushes_used:0,photos_added:0,total_editor_actions:{},tools_used:{transform:1},is_sticker:false,edited_since_last_sticker_save:true,containsFTESticker:false}The post 2025 Oscars: Best Animated Feature Shortlist Announced appeared first on Vfxexpress.

We know teens love their Strawberry Acai Refreshers, their Caramel Frappuccinos, and their cake pops from Starbucks. But the coffee chain is so deeply integrated into the lives of teens that they dont just use it to fuel their mornings and as a meetup spot: They also use it as currency.Thats one of the findings of a new report from Cafeteria, an app that pays teens for their brand insights. Teens dont just pay each other back with cash, Cash App, or Venmo. Instead of actually handing over dollars, theyre swapping lattes, cold brews, and chais from Starbucks when they owe each other money, with 30.7% of teens saying they offer to pay next time. The coffee giant was the only brand that teens mentioned using to settle up.Starbucks is the number-one coffee spot for teens and the number-two restaurant (behind Chick-fil-A). Given how frequently teens are hitting up the coffee chain, it makes a lot of sense that they would rely on it to even out finances. Of course, teens still pay each other back in other ways: 23.9% use Venmo to send a friend money they borrowed and some still rely on the old-fashioned method, with 22.8% handing over cash. But according to the Cafeteria report, Starbucks orders are the ultimate IOU.The brand is so popular with teens that the demographic often knows their best friends Starbucks order, too. In a series of questions it called the real friend test, Cafeteria asked teens what their best friends order was. A whopping 89% knew their best friends exact drink, down to the size, the milk, and the drizzles.Teens have food favorites at the chain, too. According to 13.5% of the teens in the survey, Starbucks is a favorite not just for coffee or paybacks, but for a lunchtime staple: grilled cheese. The teens called the selection their favorite menu item at the chain.Its literally the best thing on the menu, one 17-year-old female said in the report. And then Ill get it with, like, a cake pop, obviously.Snagging limited-time offerings is a driving factor behind teens spending, which Starbucks has leaned into with holiday drinks and the new Wicked-themed drinks: Glindas Pink Potion and Elphabas Cold Brew. (Such offerings also make for solid social media posts, which are a huge incentive for the demographic.) But its not the only brand with rotating menus that create a sense of urgency for teens. According to the report, Crumbl, the maker of giant cookies whose flavors rotate weekly, is hot right now (even if most of the cookies are, er, cold). It was the only food brand teens mentioned when asked what their must-try brands were. Crumbl has seen major success online as teens try out and rank their favorite cookies. Many even try them just to hate on new flavors, in scathing reviews on sites such as Reddit.Cafeterias report demonstrates teens obsession with ultra-popular brands, such as Starbucks and Crumbl. But it also highlights up-and-coming brands in what it calls pre-trends. In the retail industry, it names a few of those soon-to-pop brands, including Puma, Hey Dude, GymShark, and Princess Polly. When it comes to beauty, move over Sephora: Merit, Tarte, and Ouai are among the next big makeup brands to take over with teens.The Cafeteria app asks teens to weigh in on their favorite brands and, in exchange, it pays them for their insights. It describes itself as a direct relationship between brands and teens, driving a unique and authentic creative economy. It says it has onboarded startups as well as top brands, all of which want to hear from teens in their own voice, in order to better their brands for a teen audience.

The Supreme Court on Friday said it would take up a business-backed appeal that could make it easier to challenge federal regulations, acting in a dispute related to Californias nation-leading standards for vehicle emissions.The justices agreed to hear an appeal filed by fuel producers who object to a waiver granted to California in 2022 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during Joe Bidens presidency. The waiver allows California to set more stringent emissions limits than the national standard.The case wont be argued until the spring, when the Trump administration is certain to take a more industry-friendly approach to the issue. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to boost production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal and repeal key parts of a landmark 2022 climate law.The high court will not be reviewing the waiver itself, but instead will look at a preliminary issue, whether fuel producers have legal standing to challenge the EPA waiver.The federal appeals court in Washington ruled that the companies lacked the right to sue because they produced no evidence that they would be affected by the waiver, which directly affects vehicle manufacturers.Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and other major automakers already are meeting the California emission standards, the administration noted in court papers.But the fuel producers told the high court that the appellate decision, if left in place, would imperil future challenges to administrative action.They said they met the legal test for getting into court. As a matter of common sense, lawyers for the companies wrote, automakers would produce fewer electric vehicles and more gas-powered cars if the waiver were set aside, directly affecting how much fuel would be sold.The EPA waiver was part of the Biden administrations efforts to reverse environmental rollbacks from Trumps first White House term and restore Californias authority to set tighter emissions rules.California has unique authority under the federal Clean Air Act to set tougher standards for cars sold in the nations largest state, which has prompted automakers to produce more fuel-efficient passenger vehicles that emit less climate-damaging tailpipe exhaust.In April, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected the fuel producers case as well as a related challenge from Ohio and other Republican-led states and fuel producers. The appeals court hears many challenges to federal regulations.The Supreme Court did not act on the states appeal.The current fight has its roots in a2019 decisionby the Trump administration to rescind the states authority. Three years later, with Biden in office, the EPArestored the states authority.Other environmental regulations have not fared well before the conservative-majority court in recent years. In 2022, the justices limited the EPAs authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants witha landmark decision. In June, the court halted the agencys air-pollution-fightinggood neighborrule.Another ruling in June, overturning a decades-old decision known colloquially as Chevron, is also expected to make environmental regulations more difficult to set and keep, along with other federal agency actions.But the justices also have recently kept in effect environmental regulations to limit planet-warming pollution from coal-fired power plants, while legal challenges play out.Mark Sherman, Associated Press

SKIMS, the apparel brand founded by Kim Kardashian, has opened its first flagship store on New York's Fifth Avenue featuring interiors by Rafael de Crdenas.The SKIMS NYC Flagship has taken over a historic building with an ornately detailed stone facade, situated a block north of St Patrick's Cathedral and opposite Rockefeller Center.A giant mannequin presides over the SKIMS flagship on Fifth AvenueInside, De Crdenas has applied the brand's signature nude palette to softly curved surfaces, rounded arches and flooring throughout."The sumptuously soft but exactingly clean interior of the flagship sets off the landmark building's intricately historical facade," said the New York-based designer.Mirrors create infinite reflections of archways covered in nude-toned ultrasuede"The collaboration has produced an immersive and innovative brand experience for existing SKIMS customers, and new ones, to discover," he added.In the soaring ground-floor space, a giant mannequin presides over the displays of SKIMS' ultra-stretchy underwear, loungewear and shapewear collections.Tonal shapewear and underwear are displayed on matching mannequinsThe products are laid out on Corian display podiums and smaller mannequins are set into niches that match their tonal colourways, which are designed for a wide range of skin tones.Walls are covered in soft ultrasuede, with mirrored panels in-between that create infinite reflections where they face one another.One floor of the flagship is dedicated to menswear, which SKIMS launched last yearFitting rooms feature wraparound mirrors and light-box ceilings installed to "bathe customers in a soft, flattering light".One floor is dedicated to menswear, which SKIMS launched in 2023.Read: Rafael de Cardenas plays with pink at Glossier HQ in New York"This flagship is a dream realised for SKIMS," said Kardashian. "We've created a space that perfectly embodies our brand and elevates the customer experience.""New York City has always held a special place in my heart, and opening our first flagship here during the holidays is truly magical," she added.Rounded surfaces are found throughout the interior, including the sales counterKardashian founded SKIMS in 2019, and the brand has created pop-up retail spaces in cities including Paris and London since its inception.In 2022, SKIMS released an underwear line for people with disabilities, which combines easy-access closures with a range of sizes and colours to suit different skin tones and body types.The new flagship occupies a historic building with ornate exterior detailingDe Crdenas, whose firm was shortlisted for interior design studio of the year at the 2022 Dezeen Awards, has created spaces for a variety of household-name brands during his career.These include the New York headquarters for cosmetics company Glossier and a bar inside department store Nordstrom.The photography is by William Abranowicz.The post Nude palette envelops SKIMS NYC Flagship by Rafael de Crdenas appeared first on Dezeen.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy has filed a counterclaim and defence of its easement on the Price Tower by Frank Lloyd Wright in Oklahoma following the current owner's lawsuit against the organisation.The back and forth began after preservation organisation The Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy informed the owners of Wright's skyscraper the Price Tower that itsalleged "unapproved" sale of historical items such as custom furniture violated an easement that protected the integrity of the building's design.Local investment companies Green Copper Holdings, Copper Tree Inc, and owner Cynthia Blanchard subsequently closed the hotel inside of the building temporarily after the backlash, claiming the sale of the items was to cover operation costs.Blanchard's consortium then filed a lawsuit claiming the 2011 easement is now null and void. It also seeks restitution for damages and would prevent the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy from publically advocating for the easement.The Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy is defending the easement of Price Tower following "unapproved" sales of its items. Top photo by Lane PearmanThe Conservancy recently filed its response and counterclaims towards the lawsuit, emphasising the legal validity of the easement and preservation efforts as a whole."Easements are a critical tool for the preservation of American cultural heritage," said Conservancy president Safina Uberoi."We are defending our easement on PriceTower to preserve the integrity of Wright's design, so it can continue to serve as a source of inspiration for future generations."Read: Hotel in Frank Lloyd Wright skyscraper to close following "unapproved" sale of itemsAs part of its legal response, the Conservancy states the easement, which protects the design integrity of the property, was breached."The Conservancy's response also asserts counterclaims against Green Copper Holdings, LLC, Copper Tree, Inc., and Cynthia Blanchard for breaching the easement, indemnity under the easement, unjust enrichment, and requests declaratory and injunctive relief to ensure the easement is upheld and Ms. Blanchard is prohibited from selling off any further items from the Price Tower," said the team.Earlier this year, a local Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reporter spotted Blanchard loading historical items onto a truck to be sold from the tower, which included a directory board, chair and other custom pieces designed by Wright, as well as a gate from the local Shin'enKan property by architect Bruce Goff.The response includes a counterclaim against the lawsuit issued by the tower's ownersCompleted in 1956 and located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the 19-storey Price Tower is considered to be Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper and one of two high-rise buildings by the architect.Recently, a theatre designed by the architect was restored on the Talisen property and manufacturer Lindal Cedar Homes released purchasable house designs informed by Wright's Usonian philosophy.The photography is byWarren LeMay via Flickr unless otherwise stated.The post Legal battle to "defend integrity" of Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper appeared first on Dezeen.